Nightmares
by Jackie W
Summary: Can anybody live up to the standards set by the men in Carter's life?


Title: "Nightmares (1/1)"  
  
Author: Jackie W.   
  
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Classification: S/J Friendship, UST  
  
Season: Early Season 7  
  
Spoilers: Just that Daniel is back. Is that even a spoiler any more?  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of  
  
MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction  
  
was created for entertainment, not monetary purposes, and no infringement on  
  
copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognized characters and  
  
places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real  
  
persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. The story and any original characters belong to the author.  
  
Authors notes: Ok, so there is a wild rumor on Sam getting a boyfriend for at least one episode in Season 7. Here is my take on that. I didn't want to do it, but my muse wrote it when I wasn't looking.   
  
Feed back craved!   
  
The mission had been a disaster almost from the very beginning. They had only been on P5X-R223 for a couple of hours, and had just made contact with some of the city's officials when the attack had begun. Gliders swooped down and began firing. An alarm sounded throughout the city and the citizens of Athena began to evacuate. SG1 immediately offered assistance. Teal'c and the Colonel had taken up positions firing at incoming Jaffa, and Carter and Daniel had begun helping people into the escape tunnels built under the city. This was not the first Goa'uld attack on Athena by a long shot, the team discovered. A blast from one of the gliders sealed the tunnel entrance nearest to the local school, and Sam had quickly been dispatched to help shuttle the frightened students to another tunnel. She was on her fifth trip when a glider made her position and started to fire. She shoved two of the children into the tunnel, and turned to grab two more when she saw a blast hit the corner of the adjacent building. Without thinking she dove to cover the bodies of the two small children with her own, and then watched in horror as pieces of the building rained down onto the remaining three students. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a small hand reaching out from the rubble only to stop and fall lifeless to the ground.  
  
Daniel had seen Sam go down, and radioed his teammates for help. Within minutes O'Neill and Teal'c were lifting a piece of the building off of Sam's leg and checking her over for other injuries while Daniel calmed the two children and found a group of people to escort them into the tunnels.   
  
"That does it. We are getting out of here. Carter needs help, and we can't do anything more for these people. Head back to the gate," O'Neill ordered.  
  
Teal'c effortlessly picked up the unconscious Major as gently as he could, and without a word of argument Daniel grabbed her pack and started for the gate. As much as his instincts wanted to help these people, he knew that the three remaining members of SG1 would be of little use, and that Sam needed them to help her now. They took a long route back to the gate, using buildings as cover to keep from being spotted by any of the enemy either on the ground or in the air. At the gate, six Jaffa were standing guard. O'Neill signaled Teal'c and Daniel to each take two, and in just a minute all six had been zatted three times, to ensure that they could not follow through the gate. Then Jack stood guard while Daniel dialed and Teal'c retrieved Carter from where he had hidden her.   
  
Two days later, Jack O'Neill prepared to leave the base with a sigh of relief. They had rushed Carter to the infirmary when they returned, and had been relieved to hear that although she had a broken leg, and several broken ribs, she would be fine. She had regained consciousness not long after they returned, and now Janet was ready to release her. The mission debriefing and reports were done, and SG1 had been given some downtime. Carter would be out for at least six weeks, so Hammond would need to assign a temporary replacement for her before they could be put back in the rotation.   
  
Although Sam was physically recovering, her teammates knew from their bedside vigils that she was plagued by nightmares, so the three men who each cared for her deeply were planning on spending their downtime at her house. Janet and Jonas Quinn had each promised they would be dropping by as much as they could too. The team headed out, with Carter in a wheelchair being pushed by Teal'c, and Daniel chatting away beside her, which left O'Neill carrying her crutches and a bag with her meds and care instructions. The men gently loaded her into Jack's truck, and when they reached her house just as gently transferred her to her bed where she immediately fell asleep.   
  
Professor Thomas Schaefer pulled his car into the driveway of his date's house and was surprised to see a black Ford truck parked there. Sam drove a Volvo, and he had never seen the truck before. He hoped she hadn't forgotten their date, although it wouldn't be the first time she had cancelled. When they had first started going out after meeting at an Academy dinner, he had been a bit peeved to have her call and cancel their second date. But he had been quite smitten, and so when she had called back three days later he had been happy to reschedule. They had been going out for two months now, but that really only equated to about 6 dates. He knew what she did was important, but he was hoping that this week-end he could spend some time convincing her that he could be important in her life too. He rang the bell and was surprised when a man answered. It took him a moment to remember the name of Sam's teammate whom he had met when they went out for drinks one night.   
  
"Dr. Jackson. Is Sam here? We had a date," he inquired trying to look beyond the man into Sam's house.  
  
"Tom, right? You'd better come in," Daniel replied slightly flustered.   
  
"Daniel, is that the pizza?" a man's voice asked quietly from beyond the hallway.  
  
"No, Jack. It's Sam's date. You remember Tom um, Schaefer," Daniel replied also in a hushed tone.   
  
"Sure," O'Neill paused, and then reluctantly stuck out his hand. "Jack O'Neill. I'm Carter's CO. I'm afraid she won't be able to go out tonight. There was a mishap in, ah, her lab, and she has a broken leg."  
  
"Oh, wow, that awful! I'll just go back and see her," Tom said, taking a step towards the bedroom.  
  
A large arm came out to stop him. "Major Carter is sleeping," Teal'c stated in a tone that Tom dared not argue with.   
  
"Yeah, we ordered pizza. Why don't you stay and you can see her when she wakes up," Daniel offered.  
  
Jack was going to argue that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, when the pizza arrived. By the time he had paid the delivery guy, Tom had moved into the kitchen with Daniel who was getting out plates and napkins. Jack sighed and deposited the pizzas on the counter. He automatically opened the drawer where he knew a pizza cutter resided, and dug it out to serve up the pizza. Tom wondered if he should be worried about how familiar the two men seemed to be with where everything was in his girlfriend's kitchen. He idled over to the fridge to get a beer and to show he was at also ease in Sam's kitchen, but was surprised to find it empty.   
  
"There's more beer in the garage. Carter keeps the extra out there when it's cold enough outside," O'Neill said getting up and going through the door to the attached garage. He returned in a minute with a case of beer, which he unloaded into the fridge.   
  
Now Tom was getting seriously freaked out. He knew Sam had said she was close to her teammates, but just how much time did they spend at her house? The four men all began to eat, and the silence was just becoming uncomfortable when a scream tore threw the quiet causing them all to jump. O'Neill was to the bedroom door before Tom had even registered that it was Sam that had yelled out.   
  
"Keep him out here," he ordered Teal'c pointing to Tom. "Daniel, come with me."  
  
As Jack opened the bedroom door, Tom could hear Sam crying out for help. Then Jack O'Neill was murmuring "It's Ok, Carter. We're here. You're ok," but the bedroom door was closed before he could make out any more.   
  
Tom looked over at Teal'c debating the wisdom of trying to get into the bedroom to check on Sam. He was surprised to see a look of sadness flit across the large man's face before it settled back into his normal calm demeanor. He also realized that there was no way he was getting in to see Sam for the moment. Finally Daniel exited Sam's bedroom, and headed into the kitchen.   
  
"I'm going to make Sam some tea. Tom, if you want to stop in quickly to see her you can. But only for a minute. Sam is exhausted," he explained.   
  
Tom high-tailed it into the other room before they could stop him. The sight before him made him stop in his tracks. Jack O'Neill was helping to prop up Sam with some pillows. Her left leg was encased in plaster, and her left arm was strapped to her body to support her broken ribs. She was terribly pale, and had obviously been crying.   
  
"My god, Sam! What happened?" he cried out in concern.   
  
O'Neill had quickly given her the lab accident story, so she lied with ease. "Little disagreement with an experiment in my lab. It blew up and I got tossed across the room. I'm so sorry I forgot about our date. I've been so drugged up I didn't even realize it was Friday," she explained.  
  
Tom looked at her carefully. That made sense and it certainly explained her injuries, but something told him he wasn't getting the full story.   
  
"No need to apologize, Sam. I think you have a pretty legitimate excuse. I heard you scream before, are you in pain?" he asked, hoping that she wasn't because that scream had been awful.   
  
Sam blushed slightly. "No, the meds tend to really screw me up. I was having some very strange nightmares," she said, only partly lying. It had been nightmares, just not caused by the meds.   
  
Tom nodded in relief. "Do you want me to stay the night?" he offered hopefully. "Then your friends can go home to get some sleep."   
  
Sam exchanged a look with Jack O'Neill that made Tom's heart lurch. The silent conversation was very intimate.   
  
"No, Tom. The guys are all prepared to bunk down here for the weekend. Why don't you stop by tomorrow or Sunday? I'll be feeling better and we can talk then," she suggested with a forced smile.   
  
"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow," Tom reluctantly agreed. He wanted to push the issue, but he could tell that Sam wasn't feeling up to it. He leaned in and gave her a kiss. "Feel better," he whispered in her ear.   
  
With a last look at O'Neill he left and after saying his good-byes to the two standing in the living room he drove off determined to come back the next day and see Sam alone. He didn't like the vibes he was getting from her teammates, especially Jack O'Neill.   
  
The next day he was back at Sam's with flowers in hand. There was another car in the driveway along with the truck. He sighed as he rang the bell. He had really been hoping to see Sam alone. This time a woman answered the door. She looked him up and down with a no-nonsense glare and raised one eyebrow.  
  
"You must be Tom. I'm Janet Fraiser, Sam's friend. Come on in," she said with a wave of her hand.  
  
Today Sam was sitting on the living room couch, with her casted leg stretched out in front of her propped up on pillows. She was still pale, but she definitely looked better than the night before. A teenager was kneeling at her side doodling on her cast with a marker.   
  
"Tom, Hi! You've met Janet I suppose, and this is Cassie, her daughter," Sam said as Tom reached over the back of the couch to give her a kiss. The teen looked him over with a bored expression, and nodded a polite hello.   
  
"These are for you, love. I'm glad to see you looking better," he said holding out the flowers.   
  
"They are beautiful, Thanks. Jan, could you put these in water for me?" Sam said smiling.   
  
"Sure," Janet said grabbing the flowers. "Tom, we are just about to have lunch. You are welcome to stay. Cassie, go out back and tell the three stooges that lunch is ready," she ordered. Definitely military, Tom thought.  
  
Just then the front door opened, and another male voice called out. "Sam? Janet?"  
  
"In here Jonas, come on in," Janet replied.  
  
Sam introduced Tom to Jonas Quinn, another friend from work. He was beginning to feel like a fifth wheel, and he could see that he wouldn't be able to get Sam alone, so he decided to leave before the other men came in from the back yard.   
  
"Actually, I can't stay, Sam. I just stopped by to check on you and make sure you were ok. I'll come over tomorrow when I can stay longer, and we can talk *privately*," he said emphasizing the last point. Then he quickly left.   
  
Sam sighed. She had a feeling that her relationship with Tom was at an end. She had begun to realize before this last mission that while she was attracted to him and she had a good time when they went out, that he was not going to be the love of her life. No, she was pretty sure that was the one man she couldn't have. The one that had just walked in her back door looking adorably rumpled as he pulled off his jacket and hat, and grinned at her. Last night when she had been torn from sleep by her nightmares of the children of Athena, it had been his arms that had comforted her, and his shoulder that she had cried into. It was Jack O'Neill's strength that she had needed desperately. After the Abydos mission, they had all been feeling slightly bereft, and Tom had been a nice distraction from her loneliness, but it was only because she couldn't be close to the person she had really needed. Damn the man. No one she ever met could live up to him. Why did he have to be so perfect for her in every way but one?  
  
The next day when Tom arrived, she sent her three teammates out to the store. It was time to end this charade.   
  
"So are the three of them moving in here permanently, because I was hoping that would be my perogative someday," Tom quipped.  
  
Sam took a deep breath. This was going to be hard. "I don't think that's ever going to happen, Tom," she quietly stated.   
  
"Sam, are you saying that there is no hope of a future for us together? Because I really think there could be," he said trying to convince himself as well as her.   
  
"Tom, I've had a wonderful time with you, but I don't feel that way. I'm sorry," Sam apologized. She looked him in the eyes and he knew that the battle was lost.  
  
"It's O'Neill isn't it?" he asked in defeat.   
  
The look of sadness that passed over her almost made him regret asking, but he really felt that he had the right to know. Sam decided to give him at least part of the truth.  
  
"In a way, although we don't have that kind of relationship. He, Daniel and Teal'c are closer to me than my family, and although it is incredibly unfair, every guy I meet has to be measured up against them. I keep hoping I can find one I can love as much as I do those three men," she admitted.   
  
"No man stands a chance, Sam." he accused gently.   
  
"Probably not. But that's the way it is. I'm stuck with them and they are stuck with me," she said with a sad smile. Then as if realizing something important her smile grew. "And I don't think I want it any other way."  
  
Tom nodded, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and prepared to leave. "Goodbye, Sam. Have a good life."  
  
Her teammates arrived back from the store to find Sam sitting silently staring into space. She never said a word as they put away the groceries, and they gave each other worried glances.   
  
"Tom couldn't stay?" Daniel finally asked.  
  
"No, Tom had to leave," was all she replied, although she seemed to come out of her trance. "I think I'll take a nap," she added, and in a blink Teal'c was at her side lifting her before she could attempt to reach for her crutches.   
  
A couple of hours later Jack tapped on her door and she told him to come in. He set a cup of tea on the table next to her, and helped her to sit up.  
  
"You ok?" he asked. "You've been awfully quiet."  
  
"Sure, just thinking," she replied.  
  
"You know we can clear out if you want, Let you and Tom have some time alone," he offered even though the thought was killing him.  
  
She turned to look him in the eyes. "Tom won't be coming back," she stated simply.  
  
Even as a vice loosened around his heart he truthfully told her, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be," she said shaking her head. "I broke up with him. I realized that I was just using him to fill up a lonely space in my life. But it wasn't really working."  
  
Jack paused and weighed his next words carefully. "You know it won't always be like this."  
  
A spark of hope lit her eyes. "It won't?"  
  
"Na, I really *am* getting too old for this. I figure another six months, a year tops and I will retire and leave SG1 in your capable hands. I'm just waiting for your next promotion so they can't force a higher ranking officer on you guys," he admitted.  
  
Sam sat in stunned silence trying to take in the implications of that.   
  
"Six months?" she finally asked, a note of excitement in her voice.  
  
"A year tops," he confirmed nodding.  
  
"Then what?" she pushed, and he heard the note of uncertainty in her voice.  
  
"Then I'm hoping to start dating the new CO of SG1," he said not daring to look at her.   
  
"Would you take the CO fishing?" she inquired hopefully.  
  
His head shot up to look at her in surprise, and he grinned when he saw that she was serious.  
  
"Yasureyabetcha," he assured her.   
  
Sam's own grin started to grow. She reached out and took his hand in hers.  
  
"Consider it a date, Sir,"  
  
The end 


End file.
